Casualty To Return Former Leads For 40th Anniversary

BBC One and BBC iPlayer will broadcast a 40th anniversary double-bill of Casualty on Saturday 5 September 2026. The special episodes feature the return of characters Charlie Fairhead, played by Derek Thompson, and Ethan Hardy, played by George Rainsford. BBC Studios Drama Productions is the production company for the series.

The anniversary event focuses on a major incident in Holby involving a rescue operation and a high-stakes medical emergency. The cast for the double-bill includes Olly Rix, Elinor Lawless, William Beck, Melanie Hill, Barney Walsh, Neet Mohan, Charles Venn, Sammy Dobson, Kirsty Mitchell, Di Botcher, Anna Chell, Sarah Seggari, Michael Stevenson, Milo Clarke, Naomi Wakszlak, and Aron Julus.

The production is part of the output from BBC Studios, the commercial arm of BBC Commercial Ltd. In the last financial year, BBC Studios reported revenues of 2.1 billion pounds and profits exceeding 200 million pounds. The company produced nearly 3,500 hours of British programming across various genres for domestic and international broadcasters and platforms during that period.

Casualty is the longest running medical drama in the world. Previous episodes of the series are currently hosted on BBC iPlayer.